Dogs’ Ryan Neal, Storm’s Benetti are individual winners

By Ken Jackson
Sports Writer
Harmony and Osceola got their trophies back.
On a day where there were no clear favorites for either team or individual Orange Belt Conference golf tournaments Monday, the Longhorns and Kowgirls took the first conference titles of the season.

Celebration’s Natalie Benetti claimed the individual title for the second year with a rock-steady 75 over a K-Bay course that was wet and muddy in spots, she said.
“I haven’t liked this course in the past, but I guess I liked it enough today,” she said. “I thought 75 was good today because of how wet it was.”
Benetti was joined on the All-Conference team by Muzeka, Dukes, Kessler, Liberty’s lone golfer Alice Munn (84) and Benetti’s teammates, Lauren Adhav (91) and Sarah Stellwag (93). The Storm, with their fourth and fifth players at home sick or out of town, couldn’t post a team score to defend their title.
At the boys’ tournament at Royal St. Cloud Golf Links, Harmony won for the fourth time in five years, shooting 328 to Celebration’s 346, but it was the fight for medalist honors that provided the best story of the day.
St. Cloud senior Ryan Neal, who’d been a swimmer the last three years and picked up a golf club in March for the first time in six years, tied with Harmony’s Tyler Howes with a 75 in regulation. Neal then won with a par on the second playoff hole.
After shooting a one-under 35 — his best nine-hole score ever — on the White nine, Neal needed to hole a clutch 8-foot par putt on the final hole of the Blue nine just to shoot 75 — his best 18-hole score ever — and secure a spot in the playoff with Howes, who had already finished.
“Somebody told me on the 18th tee I was tied and I knew I needed a par,” he said. “Good day for my best round ever, huh?”
When the playoff ended, Neal got hearty handshakes, hugs and back pats from his family, his teammates and his coach.
“What a great kid and a great story, I’m so proud of him,” Bulldogs Coach Shane Muller said. “He came out this year and just wanted to have fun. The only people who may have seen him coming (Monday) were the guys he’s played against this year.”
Teammate Caleb Sibley, who shot 78, was with Neal the entire playoff.
“I’m so glad he won,” Sibley said. “He’s been so dedicated all year.”
Harmony’s Bryce Pace matched Sibley’s 78 and the Longhorns’ Tyler Bennett (84), Chad Williams (91) and Blaine Janke (91) provided the depth they needed to win.
Poinciana, led by Stephen Holt’s 84, and defending champion Osceola, led by Blake Sorenson’s 87, tied for third at 359, ahead of St. Cloud (360), Liberty (390) and Gateway (453).
Neal, Howes, Sibley, Pace, Bennett, Holt and Celebration’s Grafton Mouen (82) earned All-Conference honors for the boys.
Harmony Coach Jerry Piester, noting his team will be right back on the St. Cloud course for Monday’s 2A District 17 tournament with the other county teams, said, “We did enough in one round to get our trophy back,” he said. “We’re going to have to come down lower (Monday), because to move on to regionals we have to beat Viera, Melbourne or Merritt Island.”
The girls play their 2A-17 tournament at Suntree Country Club in Viera. Lackey also said his team must play better to compete with Viera, Bayside and Palm Bay if it doesn’t want to end the season on Monday.
“We have to beat what we shot (Monday) by 20 if we want to move on,” he said.
The top three teams at districts and the top three individuals not on those teams move on to the regional round on Oct. 24.